The Congress on Saturday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of “bulldozing” through Parliament the new bill that opens up the nuclear sector to private players in order to restore peace with United States President Donald Trump.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh claimed that the Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India Bill, acronymised as SHANTI, was passed “to restore SHANTI [peace] with his once good friend,” referring to US President Donald Trump.
Ramesh noted that Trump on Thursday signed the United States’ National Defence Authorization Act for 2026, which contains a reference to a joint assessment between the US and India on nuclear liability rules.
The Congress leader remarked that this was the reason why the SHANTI Bill, passed by Parliament on December 18, removed key provisions of the 2010 Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act. “The SHANTI Act may well be called the TRUMP Act - The Reactor Use and Management Promise Act,” he quipped.
The bill proposes to grant licenses to private companies, joint ventures and government companies to construct, own, operate or decommission nuclear power plants or reactors.
Among the bill’s contentious provisions was one that removed a clause that was part of the 2010 Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act which allowed the operator of a nuclear power plant to file legal proceedings against suppliers if their equipment was found to have been in an accident.
The provision was believed to be a reason for the lack of foreign participation in the country’s nuclear sector despite the Indo-US nuclear deal.
Bilateral ties between New Delhi and Washington deteriorated in August after Trump doubled the tariffs on goods imported from India to 50% for purchasing Russian oil amid the war in Ukraine.
The US president has repeatedly alleged that India’s imports were fuelling Russia’s war on Ukraine.
India, however, has maintained that its oil imports are based on market factors and are aimed at ensuring India’s energy security. The foreign ministry said in August that it was unfortunate that the US was imposing additional tariffs on India “for actions that several other countries are also taking in their own national interest”.
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